Village Connection- Meet the new Estero Village Council Members

On April 5, 2023, four Estero Village Council members will be sworn in to serve four-year terms as three of the original council members step down after serving eight years. 

 

District 3: Jon McLain

Jon McLain has served on the Village Council since June 2017, by appointment, and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. He served as vice mayor from March 2021-March 2022. In the recent election, McLain ran unopposed in District 3, which encompasses the communities of The Vines, Belle Lago, The Reserve of Estero, Coastal Village, The Cascades and Rookery Pointe. His four-year term began March 21, 2023, and ends March 15, 2027.

McLain has been a resident of Estero since 2010 and resides in Belle Lago. He has extensive business experience, holding executive positions at several corporations. He is a veteran and officer of the U.S. Army, holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of San Francisco and an Executive MBA from the University of Southern California. He also enjoys golf, cycling and pickleball.

 

District 4: Lori Fayhee

Lori Fayhee ran unopposed and will begin her four-year term beginning March 21, 2023, and ending March 15, 2027. Fayhee has been a resident of Estero in the Villages at Country Creek (VCC) since 2004. Fayhee previously enjoyed an extensive career managing territory sales for Fortune 500 medical equipment companies in Illinois. At VCC, Fayhee serves on the Communications Committee and is editor of The Villager.

Since 2013, she has been a passionate advocate for parents, students, and teachers within the Lee County public education system, serving on several advisory committees. She also served as a FutureMakers Coalition Aspiration/Preparation Team member of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, and, most recently, was a census field supervisor for the 2020 Census. She earned her associate’s degree from Illinois Central College and attended the University of Illinois (Chicago).

 

District 5: Ralph Lopez

Rafael “Ralph” Lopez was elected on March 7, 2023, and will serve a four-year term ending March 15, 2027. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in Miami. He and his wife, Susan, have been full-time residents of Stoneybrook of Estero since 2008 and have a daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters who reside in the Village of Estero.

Lopez is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and served for 33 years as a law enforcement officer in Dade and Broward counties, retiring in 2016 with the rank of lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Florida International University. Lopez also worked for MasterCard International. He has been involved with many professional and community organizations throughout his career. Lopez served on the Stoneybrook of Estero Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors from 2018 to 2020 and was Safety Committee chairman.

 

District 7: George Zalucki

George Zalucki ran unopposed and will begin his four-year term beginning March 21, 2023, and ending March 15, 2027. He lives in The Preserve at Corkscrew with his wife, Sharon, and they have been proud residents of the Village of Estero since 2014.

Zalucki earned a bachelor’s degree in public safety and leadership from Sienna Heights University and served 27 years as a firefighter and Professional Emergency Manager (PEM), retiring as a fire chief in 2013 before relocating from Michigan to the Village of Estero. His community service includes leadership positions with the Estero Forever Foundation and Greater Estero Chamber of Commerce. He is a board member of the Estero Historical Society and the Greater Estero Virtual Information Center and co-founder of the Gulf Coast Dream Cruise for Charity.

 

 

Farewell to Mayor Katy Errington, Council members Jim Boesch & Jim Wilson

Outgoing Mayor Katy Errington was one of the original council members for the Village of Estero, beginning on March 17, 2015, and serving eight years. Representing District 4, Errington served as both mayor and vice mayor before stepping down on March 20, 2023.

During her time on Village Council, Errington served as the liaison for numerous organizations including the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), serving as vice chair, chairperson and chair of the Lee County MPO Executive Committee; the Florida League of Mayors, serving on the board of directors; and several organizations dedicated to conservation, preservation and water quality—Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, South Florida Water Management District, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and the historic Boomer Property. Errington also guided projects including the landscaping of U.S. 41 and issues of water quality in the Estero River. Errington is a Rotarian of the Year (2012), member of the Estero Historical Society, Florida certified horticultural professional and a church elder.

 

Jim Boesch was also one of the original council members for the Village of Estero, representing District 5 since 2015 and serving as mayor and vice mayor. Boesch’s vast corporate experience prior to coming to Estero was instrumental in establishing the operations of “government lite.”

Boesch served as the liaison for several organizations including the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization, serving as vice chair and chairperson; the Estero Forever Foundation, supporting the community foundation and fundraising; and the Estero Council of Community Leaders. He guided several environmental initiatives involving the Kiker Preserve, South Florida Water Management District, DR/GR, Edison Farms, and issues of transportation and open space. Additionally, Boesch was the first president of the Master Board for Stoneybrook Golf Community and was that community’s first CDD chairman.

Jim Wilson was also one of the original council members serving for eight years, representing District 7. Wilson served as the liaison for the Lee County Horizon Council, East Corkscrew Alliance, Bonita/Estero Economic Development Council and the Estero Chamber of Commerce, serving as an elected member.

Wilson was a strong supporter of Corkscrew Road upgrades and improvements, Ben Hill Griffin Parkway landscape improvements, and Village land purchases to provide public land for the community. He was instrumental in expediting the construction of a much-needed traffic signal at the entrance to Grandezza and into Hertz Arena, which has greatly reduced accidents at that location and provided significant benefit to the community. He previously served 27 years as a councilman in Palatine, Ill., before moving to Estero, where he applied his lifelong experience to establish an efficient and well-run government structure in Estero.

The members of the Village Council, Village staff and the citizens of Estero express heartfelt gratitude to council members Errington, Boesch and Wilson for their dedicated service to the Village of Estero, their commitment and passion for helping constituents, and their part in making Estero a “crown jewel” of Southwest Florida.